Scholarships for Mothers & Women

For some mothers and mothers-to-be, juggling college courses and parenting is no easy feat. Balancing day care with libraries and textbooks with children’s books is a reality many mothers face that can quickly become overwhelming. Financially, the strain is enormous. But the good news is that there is help available.

Here’s a list of scholarships for women to take advantage of, investing in themselves to create a better and safer future for their children.

Each year, hundreds of scholarships go unused simply because no one applied for it. There’s truly nothing to lose – except the possibility of receiving free money. Good luck and happy scholarship hunting!

BEFORE YOU START, REMEMBER:

One eligibility requirement for most scholarships listed below is that you must qualify financially.

Available to: Single parents and minority students who are California residents and are either graduating from high school or are full-time undergraduate students at a two- or four-year college or university.

Selection criteria:

Financial need

Leadership history

Community service record

Professional recommendations

Academic performance

Application information:
Capture the Dream Single Parent Scholarship aims to thwart the obstacle of soaring tuition costs for single parents and minority students. Applications can be submitted by the deadline found on the Apply Now page.

Long name, great scholarship. The IOMOTC Scholarship is available to any Illinois resident with multiples (twins, triplets and so on). Students apply for a $100 scholarship and also a $300 scholarship.

Each year more than $1.6 million in education grants are awarded to over 1,200 women, many of whom have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, domestic violence and/or drug and alcohol abuse. Live Your Dream Awards recipients may use the cash awards to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.

What can I do today?
Have a good understanding of your career path as the grant committee will want to hear about your goals and timelines. If you have a great story of breaking gender barriers or have a project in the works, delve into the AAUW awards.

Apply for scholarships if:
The scholarship section has many scholarships with many different requirements. Find the one corresponding to your geographic location.

Mary Jane Young put herself through college doing housekeeping and kitchen labor. After her death in 1989, her legacy lives on through this scholarship for non-traditional women attending the University of Minnesota.

Eligible for scholarship if:

You are a single mother over the age of 25 (there are exceptions for mothers that are married and meet the financial need requirements and for those who have delayed entry to college to raise a family)

You are a full-time undergraduate student pursuing any major while attending Minnesota State University

You are re-entering college (applicants must have completed at least 30 semester credits or transfer credits)

Although this award is specific to Aurora Public Schools in Colorado, this scholarship can provide amazing assistance to the right individual.

Available to students who:
Graduate from an Aurora Public School and are teen parents. One would hope that if you are a teen parent in Aurora Public Schools in Colorado and are set to graduate, your guidance counselors have been prepping you for this great opportunity for a $500 scholarship! Download the application here.

A hero can be defined many different ways. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire defines a hero as a single parent returning to school, which might require more time and energy than being an actual comic book super hero.

Apply today:
Single parent applicants hoping to attend UW-Eau Claire can put this on the top of their to-do-lists.

Apply if:
You are a single parent and have applied to UW-Eau Claire, have been admitted to the college, and have financial need. Complete the online application and submit the complete copy by the date on the website. There are also merit-based scholarships (based on GPA) available to single parents once enrolled at the college.